Automobile brake-actuating mechanism.



H. S. MORTON. v

AUTOMOBILE BRAKE ACTUATING MEGBANISM.

APPLICATION FILED 1330.9,.1912.

Eaten'ed July 21, 19M,

4 SHEETS-'SHEET l.

fly j ('UIXWWAJ H. S. MORTON.

AUTOMOBILE BRAKE AG'I'UATING MEGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 9, 1912.

Patented July 21, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H. S. MORTON.

AUTOMOBILE BRAKE ACTUATING MEcHANsM.

APPLIGATION FILED DBG.9,1912. V 1,104,066, Patented Ju1y21, 1914.

4 SEEETS-SHEET 3'.

Fijn 3.

H. S. MORTON.

AUTOMOBILE BRAKE ACTUATING MEGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 9, 1912.

Patented July 21, 1914'.

Ill!

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

HAROLD S. MOB/TON, 0F MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

AUTOMOBILE BRAKE-ACTUATING MECHANIS'M.

To all 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, HAROLD S. MoRToN, a citizen 'of the United States,residing at ll/Iinneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomobile BrakelActuating Mechanism; and I do hereby declare theVfollowing' to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

Myinvention relates'generally to brake mechanism for wheel vehicles, butis especially directed to the provision of an improved brake mechanismfor automobiles.

More specifically stated, this invention has for its especial object theprovision of a simple and eiiicient brake mechanism whereby the brakepower may be simultaneously applied to all four wheels o f an automobileor motor propelled vehicle, with the brake setting action properlyproportioned between the front and rear wheels and without interferingwith the steering movements of the front wheels.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention applied tothe chassis of an automobile, like characters indicate like partsthroughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View showing the improvedbrake mechanism applied to the chassis of an automobile, some partsbeing brokenK away and some parts being sectioned; Fig. 2 is'afragmentary view in vertical longitudinal section taken approximately onthe line m2 m2 on 1, some parts being shown in diagram and some partsbeing removed; Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section takenapproximatelyT on the line w3 w3 on Fig. 1, some parts being shown infull; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken approximately on the line aftai* on Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig.4, some parts being broken away and some parts being sectioned onvarious diierent section lines.

Of the standard parts of the chassis or running `near. the numeral 1indicates the framework, the numeral 2 the rear axle, the numeral 3 therear wheels, the numeral 4 Speccation of Let'ters Patent.

Application led December 9, 1912. Serial No. 735,888.

Patented July 21', 1914.

the front axle having the pivoted knuckles 5, and the vnumeral 6 thefront wheels. The hubs 3al and 5a of the rear and front wheels,respectively, are journaled in the customary way upon the trunnions ofthe knuckles 5, and all of these hubs, in this preferred arrangement,are provided with brake drums 7 having laterally projecting cylindricalanges.

` The ends of the rear axle 2 in the one imstance, and the knuckles 5 ofthe iront axle 4- in the other instance, are formed with disk-likeflanges 8 that close the open inner sides of the brake drums 7. Workingwithin each brake drum 7 and anchored to the corresponding knuckle{iange 8, is a circumferent-ially expansible split brake band 9, theouter face of which is preferably pro` vided with the usual leather,wood fiber or other pliable covering 10, for direct engagement of theinner surface of the coperat- 'ing brake drum.' Pivoted to each knuckleflange 8 is a flattened head 11 that Works between the ends of the brakeband -9 and the projecting shaft or stem 12 of which has an arm 13located inward of the coperating drum 7 and knuckle .flange 8. The brakeband is expanded into contact with the cooperating brake drum, bypivotal movement of the flattened head 11, this being a well known formof friction brake or clutch.

The arms 13 of the rear wheel brakes extend upward, as shown in Fig. 2,but the arms 18 of the front wheel brakes extend radially inward, inrespect to the coperating brake drums, and terminate in spherical heads14 havingl their centers located approximately at the intersectingpoints of the wheel hubs and of the alined vertical axes of the journals4a that pivotally connect the knuckles 5 to the front axle 4.

Journaled in suitable bearings 15 on the end portions of the front axle4, are short horizontal shafts 16 having at their inner ends, upwardlyextended arms 17 and having at their outer ends, arms 18 terminating inspherical heads 19 having their centers message located approximately onthe vertically prouna) justable links 20 having sockets 2l thatdirectfiy engage with the said heads lll and 19. 19 afford jointshaving-limited universal movements, and inasmuch as the centers of thesaid joints are located approximately in line with the vertical axes otthe steering knuckles ii, it is evident that hsrizontal oscillatorymovements or the said'knuckles required to steer the machine, Will notmaterially change the operative relation of the said connections. Thecenters or the heads ld and i9, in the brake setting movements, orcourse, move on the arcs ot' circles, but their movements do not deviate'much :trom the vertical line oit the projected aires or" the saidtrunnions da. The universal joints readily take care ot all such slightdeviation. By reference particularly to lligE 5, it will be noted thatthe link 20 has a svvivel connection at 202, which relieves the link andother parts from torsional strains due to the steering movementsimparted to the knuckles and iront wheels.

ln the arrangement illustrated, the our brakes are arranged to besimultaneously set :trom a common operating lever, as shown, in the formof a primary lever 22, secured to the transverse shaft 23, supported bythe framework l, and provided with a toot lever 2a that terminates abovethe toot board 25 oic the vehicle body` a fragment ot which is shown inFig. 2. lllhe free lower end or1 the lever 22 is pivoted to the lowerend ci secondary lever 26. r1the free upper end ot' the lever 26 isconnected by a rod 27 to the intermediate portion ot a rear equalizinglever 28, While the intermediate portion of said lever 26 is connectedby a rod 29 to the intermediate portion olf a front equalizing lever 30,rl'he ends oit the rear equalizing lever 28 are connected-by rods 3l tothe upper ends ci the rear brake levers 13, While the ends et the irontequalizing lever 3G are connected by rods 32 to the upwardly entendedarms l? ot the so-called bell cranks iti-i7 and 18.

ln Fig. l, the numeral 33 indicates a cross bar vyhich connects thesteering knuckles 5 at the front axle for parallel movements. Thisconnection 33 constitutes apart or the steering mechanism, not necessaryfor the purposes of this case to consider.

Sciliar as this invention is concerned, the rear traction Wheels may bedriven by any suitable transmission mechanism, but in Fig. l, l havediagrammatically indicated a gear and shalt casing 3ft connected to thecasing ci the rear aide 2 and adapted for use in connection with a geardrive. As is evident, vvith the arrangement shovvn, when the oot isplaced on the toot lever 2d, and the upper end oli this lever is pressedlorvvard, all tour of the brake bands 2 vvill be enpanded and the brakesont all Wheels The sockets 2l and the heads ld and.

niet,

Will be simultaneously set with the adjustment oi levers and connectingrods shovvn in the drawings Aand best indicated. in rig. 2, the brakingpower Will` be applied with about equal torce both to the lirontand tothe rear Wheels. The braking povver on the iront and rear Wheels should,however, be proportioned as nearly as practicable to the load carriedthereon, and frequently', it will be desirable therefor to applyconsiderably greater brake setting torce to the rear wheels than to thefront Wheels. This adjustment may be provided vfor in ditte-rent Ways,but as shown, l have tor this purpose provided a so-called secondarylever 26 'with vertically spaced perorations 26, in any one ci" which,the pin which connects said lever to the rod 29 may be inserted, atwill. lt is, of course, obvious, that the iront equalizing lever 30equally distributes the brake setting torce between thefront Wheelswhile the rearequaliaing lever 28 equally distributes the brake settingforce between the rear wheels. By this arrangement for simultaneouslysettin the brakes et all four Wheels oitl the vehic e, the best possibledistribution or the brake setting power is accomplished, and it isthereby made possible to bring the vehicle to a stop Within the shortestpossible distance after setting the brake, and this too, Without causingany of the Wheels to slide. As a further result ci this, therefore, aminimum Wear on the tires due to setting oit the brakes, is effected.

lWhat l claim is:

l. Vllhe combination With a 'tour-Wheeled vehicle having steeringknuckles with. the iront Wheels journaled on said knuckles, ofindividual brakes applied to the hubs ot all tour Wheels, and means forsimultaneously setting all et the said brakes, comprising front and rearequalizing levers, the rods connecting the ends of said iront and rearequaliaing levers, respectively, to the front and rear brakes, the saidfront brake connections including swivel joints located approfrimatelyin line with the vertical axes voi the knuckle pivots, a primary brakeactuating lever, a secondary brake actuating lever pivotally connectedat one end to one end of said primary lever, a rod connecting one end ofsaid secondary lever to the inten mediate portion of one of saidequalizing levers, and a rod connecting the intermediate portion of saidsecondary lever to the in termediate portion of the other equalizinglever.

2. rlhe combination vvith a tounvrheeled vehicle and individual brakedevices applied to the hubs thereof, of a primary brake actuating lever,a secondary brake actuating lever having one end pivoted to one end ofsaid primary lever, front and rear equalizing levers having their endsconnected to the respective and rear brakes, rod con- L30 necting theintermediate portion of one of In' testimony whereof I affix mysignature Said equalizing levers to the intermediate in presence of twoWitnesses.

ort-ion of said secondary brake actuating HAROLD S. MORTON. ever, andanother rod connecting the free y Witnesses: 5 end of the latter to theintermediate portion HARRY D. KILGoRE,

of the other equalizing lever. EDITH E. HANNA.

